Morcellator Lawsuit News: 9,700+ Sign Petition to Ban Uterine Morcellation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, New York (PRWEB) June 14, 2014 -- As the Firm continues to evaluate morcellator lawsuits (http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/) on behalf of women who allegedly experienced the spread of uterine sarcoma and other cancer via uterine morcellation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that some 9,745 people have signed a Change.org petition seeking a ban on the use of power morcellators in gynecological surgeries.* According to a report from CBS News in Boston, the petition was launched by a Massachusetts woman and her husband after the woman was diagnosed with stage four leiomyosarcoma, a rare but aggressive form of uterine cancer, following a morcellation procedure she underwent last October to remove fibroids. The couple told CBS that new postings are added to the petition daily by women and their loved ones who have allegedly suffered because of morcellation.**
“Our Firm has heard from numerous women and their families who claim to have had similar experiences with power morcellation in minimally-invasive hysterectomies and fibroid removals. We are pleased this issue is receiving the attention it deserves,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering free morcellator lawsuit reviews to women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.
Hysterectomy Cancer Lawsuits
Power morcellators are used in minimally-invasive hysterectomies and fibroid removals to cut up tissue so that it can be easily removed through a small abdominal incision. According to court documents, a number of morcellator lawsuits are now pending in U.S. courts, all of which were brought on behalf of women whose cancer was allegedly spread via uterine morcellation. Most recently, a case was filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California on May 13, 2014 that claims the use of a Wolf Power Morcellator promoted the dissemination of uterine cancer cells throughout a woman's peritoneal cavity. (Case No. Case5:14-cv-02209-PSG)
In April, the U.S. Food& Drug Administration (FDA) warned that the use of uterine morcellation might allow undetected uterine sarcoma and other cancers to spread outside of the uterus. Unfortunately, uterine sarcoma is difficult to detect and is almost never discovered until after fibroids have been removed and biopsied. In fact, the FDA estimates that 1 in 350 women undergoing fibroid removal have uterine sarcoma cancer cells in their fibroids. If the cancer is allowed to spread beyond the uterus, a woman’s chances of long-term survival will be greatly diminished, the agency said.
The FDA will convene a 2-day meeting of its Obstetrics and Gynecological Devices Panel beginning on July 10th to further investigate the risks associated with uterine morcellation. Among other things, the Committee will be tasked with making recommendations regarding the appropriate use, premarket testing, labeling, and other risk mitigation for power morcellators used in laparoscopic hysterectomy and fibroid removal procedures.***
Since the FDA alert was issued in April, Johnson & Johnson announced it would suspend sales of several power morcellators sold by its Ethicon, Inc. unit until the agency can provide further guidance on their use.**** A number of hospitals, including The Cleveland Clinic and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have stopped using the devices pending action from the FDA.*****
Alleged victims of uterine sarcoma or other cancers spread via power morcellation may be entitled to compensation for their injury-related damages. To learn more about filing a morcellator lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To obtain a free legal review, please call 800-511-5092.
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003
Bernstein Liebhard LLP represents the victims of defective drugs and medical devices on a contingency-fee basis, and our clients are never expected to pay attorneys fees unless their case results in a successful recovery on their behalf. New York State’s contingency fee cap rules generally limit those fees to 33 1/3% of the total recovery. As a result, the Firm’s fees can be significantly lower than those assessed by attorneys in other states, which depending on the law may amount to as much as 40% or more of a plaintiff’s recovery.
*change.org/petitions/women-s-health-alert-deadly-cancers-of-the-uterus-spread-by-gynecologists-stop-morcellating-the-uterus-in-minimally-invasive-and-robot-assisted-hysterectomy, Change.org, June 13, 2014
**boston.cbslocal.com/2014/04/25/local-couple-makes-push-to-ban-morcellation/, CBS, April 25, 2014
***federalregister.gov/articles/2014/06/09/2014-13290/obstetrics-and-gynecology-devices-panel-of-the-medical-devices-advisory-committee-notice-of-meeting, Federal Register, June 9, 2014
****reuters.com/article/2014/04/30/us-johnson-johnson-device-idUSKBN0DG06G20140430, Reuters, April 30, 2014
*****cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/04/surgical_tool_for_hysterectomy.html, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 28, 2014
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Power Morcellator Lawsuit Center, http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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